Fact-checking the false claim that O.J. Simpson posted an online confession before his death

A three-word deathbed murder confession from O.J. Simpson — arguably America’s most infamous star-athlete-turned-murder-suspect — would have dominated headlines.

So, it raised suspicion when the only person reporting such a claim was an anonymous X poster. 

"This was the last thing OJ Simpson tweeted before he passed," read the X user’s April 11 post. It included a screenshot of Simpson’s account purportedly sharing the words, "I did it."

"What did he mean by this?" the poster asked. As of noon April 12, the post had been seen more than 230,000 times.

(Screenshot from X.)

There’s no evidence that Simpson posted such a confession. We found no credible sources or news reports documenting such a confession, and the post does not appear on Simpson’s X profile. X users also appended a community note to the post, saying the supposed confession did not appear on Simpson’s real account. 

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Following televised legal proceedings dubbed the "trial of the century," Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. In 1997, however, a civil trial jury found Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to Brown and Goldman’s relatives.

In 2008, Simpson was convicted on felony armed robbery and kidnapping charges unrelated to the murder case. He served nine years in a Nevada prison. 

The most recent post on Simpson’s X profile was the Simpson family’s April 11 statement about his death: "On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace."

Before that, Simpson’s most recent post was shared hours before the Feb. 11 Super Bowl. It featured a video in which Simpson said "my health is good" and predicted a win by the San Francisco 49ers, one of his former teams. In May 2023, Simpson announced an unspecified cancer diagnosis, and news organizations reported in February that Simpson had prostate cancer. 

Simpson had always maintained his innocence, however in 2006, he announced plans to publish a book titled "If I Did It." The book, authored by Simpson and a ghostwriter, sparked instant controversy because it was billed as a memoir in which Simpson speculated about how he hypothetically might have killed Brown and Goldman, according to news reports.   

After a public outcry, the book wasn’t published as planned. Goldman’s family later secured rights to the book in an effort to recoup millions Simpson owed for the civil wrongful death judgment. The family published it in 2007 with a new title, "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer," and commentary written by the Goldman family. 

In 2018, Fox aired "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?," which included 2006 footage of Simpson discussing a "hypothetical" detailed account of the stabbings. Simpson’s lawyer said the conversation was about money — a way to promote the "If I Did It" book, which the lawyer described as "fictional."

But Simpson has never directly admitted to the crimes, and there’s no evidence he posted such a confession on X before his death. We rate this claim False.